Flow Research, Inc.
27 Water Street
Wakefield
,
MA
01880
+1
781-245-3200
+1
781-224-7552 (fax)
www.FlowResearch.com
Dear Friend of Flow,
Flow Research is on the move!
I just got back from a trip to the International North Sea Flow
Measurement Workshop in Tonsberg,
Norway. This was the 29th time
this workshop was held.
The focus of the workshop, which alternates between
Norway
and Scotland
is on multiphase and ultrasonic flowmeters.
These topics are very timely for us, as we are just completing our study
on multiphase flowmeters. We have
also begun a new ultrasonic study, our Fourth Edition.
We will be publishing two separate studies: one on inline ultrasonic
meters, and a separate study on clamp-on/insertion meters.
Many of the leading multiphase
companies attended and exhibited at this conference, including Roxar,
Cameron, MPM, Solarton ISA, Abbon, and Weatherford.
Ultrasonic companies in attendance included KROHNE, Endress+Hauser, Sick,
GE Measurement, Siemens, Emerson Process Management, and Elster.
The conference consisted entirely of technical papers on given flowmeter
topics, mainly relating to multiphase and ultrasonic flowmeters.
Over 300 delegates attended, representing 29 countries.
Norway
is a hotbed for development of multiphase technology. The most likely reason
for this is that
Norway
is rich in oil and gas resources, and is located next to the
North Sea. Many of the companies are
located in Stavenger or
Bergen, which are located on the western coast of
Norway. While companies from other
regions, such as Agar Corporation, are also developing multiphase technology,
the bulk of the development today appears to be centered in Norway
.
In addition to the companies based in
Norway
, there is a network of research centers in the region there that provide
intellectual and testing support for the multiphase and other flowmeter
companies. These include National
Engineering Laboratories (NEL) and the Christian Michelson Institute.
These companies provide engineering and testing support for the companies
developing multiphase flowmeters and other technical products relating to flow
measurement. For example, the
Fluenta flare gas meter was developed by the Christian Michelson Institute.
Fluenta developed multiphase technology that was later acquired by Roxar.
During the remainder of the trip, I
visited companies in
Kongsberg,
Norway, as well as in
Germany
and
Switzerland. One of the most rewarding parts of
the experience was meeting people I had been talking to on the phone and by
email but had never met. Flow
Research is well known in
Europe, and is regarded as the premier supplier of market research on instrumentation
by many European companies. My hosts
were very gracious, and I was able to meet with key product and marketing
managers from a number of important companies in
Europe
-- and the food was excellent. It was both an exciting and rewarding trip.
This trip is the latest in a series
of trips I have taken this year to broaden and increase my knowledge of the
flowmeters and energy markets, and to meet people in the business.
Previous trips include GasTech 2011 in
Amsterdam
in March, the MCAA Industry Forum in May, the AGA Conference in
Nashville
in May, two weeks in
Colorado
centering around training in Coriolis and DP flowmeters, and four days in
Minneapolis
for vortex and magnetic flowmeter training.
While in
Colorado
, I was also able to visit CEESI, which is the leading flowmeter calibration
facility in the United States. This is the most traveling I have
done a year since 2009, when I made multiple visits to the Mideast in connection
with a project to interview oil and natural gas suppliers there.
I also made several trips to Europe in connection with this project,
which later formed the basis for our series of six gas flow studies.
This is a very exciting time at Flow
Research and we hope to hear from you!
Yours in flow,
Jesse Yoder,
PhD
President, Flow Research, Inc.
jesse@flowresearch.com